


Jivebunny Restaurant

by buttercookiesandtea



Category: Devil May Cry, DmC: Devil May Cry
Genre: Dante gets a little OOC, F/M, Hints of stuff, Reboot Dante, Tea can't make tags, Tea has a weakness for reboot Dante, Tea's music selections sometimes enhance images, Things will probably progress, smitten dante
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-08
Updated: 2018-01-20
Packaged: 2018-09-30 22:41:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 17,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10174031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buttercookiesandtea/pseuds/buttercookiesandtea
Summary: In the middle of Dante’s mission to eliminate Mundus, boredom forces the hunter from routine and into the tantalizing world of Jivebunny Restaurant. The woman the regulars call Jivebunny catches his eye, and keeps Dante coming back every week. As the fight progresses, his relationship with the elusive Jivebunny leaps forward, and suddenly things aren’t as simple as sex and whiskey anymore.





	1. Welcome to Jivebunny Restaurant

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! Tea here, with my first work that's published on AO3!
> 
> Don't come after me for my love of reboot Dante, I just can't help myself!
> 
> Anywho, here's the first part of this fanfic, with deep intent to continue it regularly to the end of the story. It's set during the last section of the DmC game, right around where Dante goes off to fight with Lilith, and continues past the end of the game, just for a little context.
> 
> My elusive little OC, Jivebunny, reels in our favorite hunter, and you'll just have to keep reading!
> 
> There's a few songs I've included for the club scenes, and I highly recommend listening to them, they really help with the whole club feel I was going for during this first part and a few parts following. They're all part of a genre called electro swing, I'm so sorry if this isn't up your alley.
> 
> Mr Sandman by the Swingrowers  
> A Friend Like Me by Sim Gretina  
> I Wanna Be Like You by Sim Gretina
> 
> Also, sorry if Dante is a little OOC. I tried my best, friends!
> 
> And finally, I don't own Dante or Devil May Cry. Only my OC Jivebunny, the setting, and a few other small side characters are mine. The rest are not!

**Chapter 1**

**Welcome to Jivebunny Restaurant**

Despite what everyone said, Dante just had to get out of his routine every once in awhile. His style never changed, explaining his usual shrug of his overcoat on top of his grey tank, and the usual holstering of his guns at his back, but he was determined to find one place he hadn’t seen in town. Double checking for the guns and his keys, he locked up the trailer and roared down random streets on his bike.

Pulsing lights and music caught his attention. At first thought it was just normal club music but as he raced closer Dante picked up faint sounds of swing music mixed in. He swung the bike into the nearest spot, parked, and strode in. The building may have looked like a club, and there were definitely enough people on the floor to look full, but the lack of bouncers outside showed that the place was still mostly undiscovered by the masses. As Dante sat at the bar, the music changed over to a remix of “Mr. Sandman” and a woman swept up from the floor.

“Hey Josh,” the woman almost shouted at the bartender, who just grinned and turned back to grab her drink. She must’ve been a regular for the bartender to know her order well, and the man behind the bar didn’t protest as she vaulted up and sat directly on the counter.

“Skipping out on Sandman again?” Josh appeared with her drink, what appeared to be just a straight pour of whiskey. 

The woman took a swig and laughed. “He ain’t brought me a dream yet, why waste my time?” She spent the rest of the song up on the bar with her drink, tapping her boots away on the chair and mouthing along to the song. This gave Dante the chance to order and check her out.

Black boots with a small heel continued to tap away, and streamlined well into the tight black jeans that stretched to her stomach. A black top finished her off, the deep neckline and hint of stomach counteracted by the modesty of the material. A silver bracelet hung off the wrist closest to him, and brown hair that brushed her collarbones hung mostly loose around her face. Dante tore his gaze away, he was not here for a hookup. That was too normal.

“Jack Daniels,” he said to Josh, who swiftly returned with his glass.

“Nice choice,” the brunette commented, taking a final swig before winking at Dante and setting her glass down. She disappeared into the crowd.

Josh snatched up her glass and put it behind the bar, chuckling at the sight of Dante trying to trail the mysterious woman. “She’s always here every Friday until closing, ya know.” At Dante’s narrowed eyes in his direction, the bartender held up his hands in surrender and returned to his work.

Dante downed his glass in one go and waded into the crowd, determined to find her.

His height lent him luck today, as he spotted her close to the center and with just enough room for someone to join her. He also spotted several pairs of hungry eyes on her, and a wave of jealousy pushed him faster towards her.

When Dante popped from the crowd surrounding his mystery woman, he was greeted with the sight of her hips swaying to the music and her hands running over her curves. He paused just long enough for her to turn around and spot him, slowing her dancing and flashing him a smile. Dante pulled her close.

“Jack Daniels,” she purred, still several inches short of his ear even in her slight heels. She turned in his arms and danced out the rest of the song, moving her hands to guide his along her curves and rubbing her ass against him. Dante could feel his body warming to her touch and scent. Their moment was interrupted, however, when the DJ came on.

“Ladies and gents, boys and girls, it’s that time of night again! Let’s bring up to the stage the woman who gives this place its name, Jivebunny!” Dante vaguely remembered seeing a sign displaying “Jivebunny Restaurant” outside, but was ripped from his thoughts when the feminine body in front of him started to pull away.

He must’ve let out an audible growl, because the woman turned around. “I’m Jivebunny, Daniels, let me show you what I can do.” Her suggestion startled him enough that she was able to slip away and up onto the stage with the DJ.

“Looks like our little Jivebunny has finally found herself a partner that can keep up!” The DJ fanned himself, clearly impressed. “Shall we give them a show?”

The devious smirk across Jivebunny’s face struck a chord in Dante. He’d given that same smirk to countless women, it was always a deal sealer for sex. Seeing it upon her seemingly innocent face upped the heat factor.

His Jivebunny stayed up on stage for a few songs, mouthing along to all the lyrics and pumping the crowd up even more. Her tantalizing movements rooted Dante to his spot and set his blood to roaring. He watched hungrily as she waved to the DJ and made her way back to him.

“C’mon Daniels, don’t just stand there like a bump on a log. Dance the night away with me.” His Jivebunny was once again purring near his ear, and Dante knew she heard the half-groan half-growl he let loose at feeling her pressed against him once again and speaking just for him.

After quickly adapting to her style of dancing to the music, Dante lost track of time as he danced with the woman.

Too soon it was the last track of the night, and the energy pulsed one last time. Somehow his Jivebunny was torn from him, but he stayed in his spot until the floor cleared, knowing that she’d find her way back to him. But she didn’t return that night, she slipped away like a sexy Cinderella, and Dante realized he’d have to return again to find her.

Josh finally called him out, coming out from behind the bar. “Hey Daniels! Looking for Jive?” He chuckled when Dante’s eyes flashed over at the mention of his woman’s alias. Josh grinned as the DJ kissed his cheek.

“She’s waiting for you outside, Daniels. Looks like you’ve been taken for quite the ride by our little Jivebunny,” the DJ commented, pointing to the front doors with a smirk.

Dante paid no attention to the light chuckles coming from behind him as he strode towards his Bunny. His eyes locked onto her as soon as he stepped outside, her lithe frame flooded by the street lamp she was leaning against. The very same smirk she had on earlier slid onto his face, and he enjoyed watching as a shiver wracked her body at the obvious hunger in his eyes.

He also noticed how another shiver appeared at the husky timbre of his voice. “C’mon babe, let’s go somewhere.”

His hands reached for her hips and pulled her close. He buried his face against her neck and trailed nips and kisses down it until she moaned. Dante nipped and licked at that sensitive spot, feeling her hands clench at his shoulders through his jacket.

“Next week,” Jivebunny gasped. Dante hummed against her skin. “Come find me next week and we can talk more about going somewhere.”

Reluctant to release this minx so soon but looking forward to the chase, Dante left one more hickey on her before letting his hands drop.

“Next week, babe, I’ll find you. You’ll soon be my Bunny, and no one else’s,” Dante promised.

Jivebunny smirked, but he still noticed the flush in her cheeks. “Next week, Daniels.” She pulled out her keys and unlocked her car.

“Dante,” he told her.

“Dante,” she breathed, and the man in question decided he wanted to hear his name ripped from her in ecstasy.

“Don’t wear it out.” He watched as she smirked and then drove away before riding off back home.

He returned the next week.


	2. Devil Swings Into Trouble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this one is a little shorter (oops), but of course I have to set up a little trouble (double oops?). 
> 
> The club songs for this scene are:
> 
> The Devil's Swing by SirensCeol  
> Shoot Him Down by Alice Francis  
> The Penniless Optimist by The Electric Swing Circus
> 
> And of course, I don't own Dante or Devil May Cry (despite how much I may want to). Only Jivebunny, a few side characters, and bits of the setting belong to yours truly!

**Chapter 2**

**Devil Swings Into Trouble**

The next Friday was warmer than the last, so Dante left his coat in his trailer. He still holstered his guns, but kept them tucked away. His arrival at Jivebunny Restaurant was again marked with the start of “Mr. Sandman,” almost as if the DJ was looking for him all night just to play that track.

Dante stood just inside the doorway, skimming the crowd for Jive. He spotted her at the bar talking with Josh again, a drink in front of her. He strode over and slipped his hands around her waist, kissing along her neck to find that sweet spot.

“Hey babe,” he growled against her skin.

“Dante,” she breathed, and the sound of his name on her lips almost sent him teetering over the edge. The dress she was wearing tonight wasn’t helping his case; the red of her Hepburn-style dress contrasted well with her pale skin and she was showing much more leg than he wanted to share. Plus, she had unknowingly worn his colour, a fact that set his blood roaring and his demon side to shaking the cage.

The beat picked up, and Josh chuckled. “It’s one of your favourites, Jive.”

“The Devil's Swing.” Jive flashed a grin, and started to move at the bar.

Dante felt his blood rush again. The _Devil's_ Swing. “Let’s get you onto that floor, babe.”

The rest of the swing went at a breakneck pace, leaving no extra time for breathing or dawdling. Jive pulled him continuously into crazy steps, and if Dante weren’t himself, he was sure he wouldn’t have kept up with this woman’s punishing pace. When the beat rose and dropped the last time, Dante hoisted Jive in the air, spinning around with her above his head. Her unrestrained laughter set Dante’s heart to beating in a different way from the dancing or his arousal, but there was no time to waste.

The pair began to dance the night away again, pausing only when Jive went back up onstage like the last Friday. Dante began to think that the routine was a regular occurrence at the Restaurant, and a part of what gave it its name. He wasn’t one to complain, being able to watch Jive perform was a treat.

Partway through another song featuring just the girls on the floor, appreciatively named “Shoot Him Down,” Dante’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He groaned and ripped his gaze from Jive- he’d be willing to hand her Ebony and Ivory any day if she danced just like that.

Like expected, he was needed for a job. It was pressing enough that a 1 AM call for immediate work was required. At least the client was going to pay well for the short notice and the time of night, but Dante still had to find a way out of the Restaurant without worrying Jive.

“Hey Josh, I gotta run. Can I leave Jive a message? I ain’t got the time to tell her,” Dante pleaded with the bartender, well aware that he sounded whipped. The bartender simply slipped him a pad and pen, with a promise that he’d let the woman know as soon as she came off the floor.

Jive barely registered Dante’s leaving from the stage, his dark clothing making him hard to spot if one didn’t know where to look. When she slunk off after another favourite, “The Penniless Optimist,” Jive dug around the crowd for the stunning man.

When she made it to the bar, Josh slid her a note from Dante.

_Babe,_

_Had to run for work, got an urgent call. I’ll be back for you next week._

_Xxx_

Jive crumpled the paper and chucked it at the bottles on the wall. She wasn’t stupid, only a few types of people worked on call at night. She couldn’t believe she didn’t figure it out earlier, with features like Dante’s why wouldn’t he be in that line of work?

She spent the rest of the night surrounding herself with the singe men in the Restaurant rather than keeping them at a distance. Dante had left, hadn't bothered to tell her in person, and left her a lousy note. And yet, the attention of all the men on the floor wasn't anywhere near as satisfying as Dante's attention. Jive went home that night frustrated.


	3. Big Bad Wolf

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh if only Dante were the groveling type. But no, our favourite hunter has his mighty fine temper.
> 
> But then, what happens when little Jive has a fire to her?
> 
> Songs for this scene are:
> 
> Shoot Him Down by Alice Francis  
> Crazy in Love by Swing Republic
> 
> And per usual, I don't own Dante or DMC! Only Jivebunny and a few other things are mine.
> 
> Also, please no hate on me or Jive for her comments about night workers. I know quite a few people in those professions, and they are all fantastic people, and stick with it because they can actually pay the bills. Jive's annoyance is placed in the fact that she thinks Dante does that work for fun, because he enjoys the thrill of teasing and sex, and that he wasn't honest with her about why he had to leave. Let's face it, even the best of people jump to conclusions sometimes.

**Chapter 3**

**Big Bad Wolf**

The next weeks saw no hint of Dante in Jivebunny Restaurant, and only fueled Jive’s anger and disappointment. When he finally returned three weeks later, Dante found Jive up on stage. She was dressed once again in black jeans and boots, but had chosen a bustier for a top, pulled her hair up to show off all her lines, and wore a deep red lipstick to accentuate every movement of her mouth.

She stepped off the stage at the end of what Dante recognized as “Shoot Him Down” into a crowd of men, who all vied for pulling her close and dancing. His fists clenched together as he saw that she didn’t resist, and almost seemed to relish in any attention she could get. Dante let out a possessive roar that was swallowed by the music and strode directly for the crowd of men and Jive.

Jive had seen Dante enter from the stage. She aimed her fake guns right at him, both thankful he had come back and hating that she wanted him back. She was very aware of when his eyes locked on her as she descended into the crowd, and deliberately danced with all the men she could. She wanted to see how far she could push him.

Far enough, apparently, as Dante could barely pick out any faces in the crowd he waded through and just shoved bodies aside. He clawed his way through the group of men and yanked Jive away from the one she was dancing with. At the sight of Dante, the crowd dispersed. They knew they had no chance now that he had returned.

Jive sent a scathing glare at the DJ, who turned on a remix of “Crazy in Love” at Dante’s approach.

“What are you doing, baby?” Dante watched as shivers ran down her back. Jive turned and smirked.

“Mice play when the cat’s away, Dante.” Jive accentuated her statement with a teasing swish of her hips, her voice cold.

Dante growled loud enough to startle Jive and hoisted her up over his shoulder. She let out a squeal and pounded at his back to put her down, but he strode straight for the bar, where Josh pointed them towards the back room. Dante slammed the door shut behind him and tossed Jive onto the small couch, satisfied by the small scream that ripped from her.

“What the fuck, Dante?” But the man in question simply grinned, he was partially distracted by how Jive looked, just flushed enough to hint that she was doing something naughty. The rise and fall of her chest in her bustier also accentuated her breasts beautifully.

“We’re going somewhere.”

“The back room isn’t exactly the sexiest place.”

“But it can be.”

“And besides, I don’t associate myself with the type of people who do your line of work, something always goes wrong.”

Dante’s eyes narrowed. There was no way she actually knew who he was or what he did. “And what exactly is my line of work, baby?”

Jive rose, anger clear in her features. “Strippers. Escorts. Whores. No one wins. I don’t associate with people who do those things for fun. And with how sexy you are, you’ve clearly claimed quite the roster of wealthy women who want fun nights with the rough and tough bad boy.”

Dante let out a laugh. “Oh Jive, baby, that’s not what I do. My line of work is much more dangerous than dealing with unsatisfied cougars, it just requires odd hours.” He pulled the smaller woman close. “If I were in any of those lines of work, do you think my boots would be scuffed? I’d never be out and about if I had access to that much sex.”

Dante dipped his head down to nip at Jive’s neck. “Besides, I’d never leave you unless I absolutely had to.” He was rewarded with her relaxing against him and reaching up to grab onto his shoulders like she had before.

He gently pushed her back towards the couch and sat, pulling her on his lap. He looked Jive in the eye. “Alright little rabbit, it’s time for a name. I need a name to put to this beautiful woman.”

Jive blushed but laughed. “What is this, you show me yours and I’ll show you mine?” She was breathing heavily again and pushing against her bustier, drawing Dante’s eyes downward. He leaned in and nipped at the exposed skin.

She sighed, a quiet noise that alerted Dante to her enjoyment of his attentions. He became very aware of the feel of her on his lap and under his hands. She smelled slightly of flowers.

A knock at the door interrupted Dante’s work at whittling Jive down to reveal something about herself.

“Jive, it’s time for the show.” Josh’s voice came through the doorway, but he made no movements to enter. Smart man.

Dante could feel Jivebunny pull herself from the web of ecstasy he had been weaving just for her. “I’ll be right out,” she called.

He doubled his efforts, nipping, licking and kissing any bare skin he could reach with her on his lap. “You don’t have to go, ya know. You can always stay here and we can have some fun.” A moan came from the brunette’s mouth before she reluctantly pulled herself up. Dante let his hands drop, knowing he had lost this battle.

“Sorry Dante, Fridays are always the one night a week customers see Jivebunny. It’s the reputation, what keeps people coming back and attracts new ones. I gotta go out,” she explained. She returned and straddled his lap, pressing against him. Dante couldn’t tell if the extra rush of heat was directly from the woman rubbing on him or from his response to her. “And my name here is always Jivebunny. But if you can find me outside of the club, I’ll tell you.”

Dante growled at her, challenge accepted then. “Well then little rabbit, go entertain the mice so the wolf can devour you sooner.” He swatted her ass teasingly and squeezed, letting Jive know that he was always willing to play but that he’d always be the dominant wolf.

Her responding squeal and flush let Dante know that she was happy to play the role of rabbit as long as he was the wolf.


	4. Pizza and Coffee

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so maybe I'm not good at timing things. But honestly, it's not much fun to write club scene after club scene, and it probably gets boring to read after a while, so I skipped time.
> 
> But a lot of things are revealed here, even though it's short, and maybe Dante has more luck than he thinks he does.
> 
> Plus, I actually am a med student, so the science that's starting to appear is as correct as I've learned it. It's actually highly unethical to take pictures of cadavers without strict educational guidelines, because the people have been gracious enough to donate their bodies to science and we have to respect that, hence how specific it gets near the end about this kind of thing.
> 
> No songs for this scene, but I think I make up for that.
> 
> And of course, Dante and DmC aren't mine!

**Chapter 4**

**Pizza and Coffee**

Work took up most of Dante’s time again. For whatever reason, the time of the year where fall starts leaking into winter allows all types of demons out of hell. Income was great, but it prevented him from seeing Jivebunny outside of the Restaurant.

He’d been back to Jivebunny Restaurant many times when he wasn't working, and Jive was slowly killing him each week. She'd started to figure out how to make him heated with what she wore. He normally went for the least amount of skin covered, but with Jive he had a sweet spot for modestly sexy. She hadn't worn the bustier again, but her sweet dresses and tops drove him crazy. Both the angel and demon sides of him agreed that her modern take of 1950s fashion was the sexiest thing he'd ever seen.

It was a Saturday afternoon, and he hadn’t been able to make it to the club the night before due to work. Dante sat in a pizza shop on Main Street killing some time with people watching. There was a little coffee shop across the street that he'd never been in but attracted all types of people. It was also a great spot for demons, emotions usually ran rampant in large groups.

The slayer’s eyes roved over the coffee shop, and snagged on a pair of boots. He'd seen those before, he was pretty sure they were Jive’s, but he wasn't about to take the chance that it was her without being even more sure than he was now. The woman belonging to those boots was seated at the little counter running along the shop’s front windows, and looked like she had a tablet in front of her and was taking notes off it. She had in a pair of headphones plugged into her phone and was slightly jamming to whatever was playing.

He was pretty sure it was Jive. The sweater and scarf she had on obscured a bit of her frame, and her hair was a bit wavier than normal, but he was pretty sure. When the woman looked up to take a drink from the mug next to her, Dante got a clear view of her face. It was definitely Jivebunny. He found her.

Dante watched her as he finished off his pizza. What she was writing down, he had no way of knowing. She was definitely old enough to be in college, and probably almost done with it, but it could also be for whatever she did for work.

He finally stood and made his way across the street. Jivebunny was finally found, and now she was going to be his.

No one gave him a second glance when he entered the shop, everyone was too busy with their own work or serving customers. Jive hadn’t even looked up from her tablet, there were too many people moving through the door to look up every time.

Dante moved as quietly as he could through the crowd towards his woman. His boots made only a slight sound against the floor, and his grey coat helped him blend in. From a few steps behind Jive he saw that she was looking at images of a human body and taking notes. As suspicious as that was, it was also an incredible turn on that she didn’t shy away from blood and gore.

He slid his arms around Jive’s waist and nipped at her neck like he knew she loved. The woman in his arms jumped and ripped out her earbuds. “I’ve found you, little rabbit.” She relaxed against him, recognizing Dante’s voice.

“So you have, big bad wolf. And here I thought you wouldn’t have frequented little coffee shops like this, you seem more of the booze kind of guy,” Jive teased.

“So.” Dante moved to rest his chin on her shoulder. “Care to explain the bodies on your screen?”

“My cadaver lab?” Jive snuck a quick look at her tablet. “I’ve got to diagnose him and my professor let me take a few pictures so I could continue my work at home. It’s not a normal thing, and could be considered unethical because this is my personal device, but I was allowed to as long as I went to his office hours and showed him I had deleted the images and hadn’t shared them anywhere. This was a person, you know.”

“As much as I love hearing you talk dirty to me,” Dante interrupted, causing Jive to laugh. “You owe me something, especially since I just won our little game. Time to give up your name, sweetheart.” He could feel her take a deep breath and steady herself.

“Lucy Williams. It means light. My parents wanted me to remember that there’s always something to look for in the dark, even if it’s just belief in myself,” she revealed.

“Lucy.” Dante tested the name out, pleased to find that it fit her. The sound of her name on his lips pulled a shudder from Lucy, who crossed her legs.

The sound of a heated argument reached the pair, who turned around in time to see two men shouting curses at each other. When one’s face began to bloat and his jaw unhinged, Dante knew a demon was among them. His first thought was to get his little rabbit out and then deal with the fucker. As the sound of human skin ripping started, Dante turned around and grabbed Lucy’s shoulders to draw her focus to him.

“Lucy, you have to get out. Grab your things and run.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead and only turned when he saw her go through the doors. “Everyone human, get out! This fucker and I have business to attend to.” Dante drew his guns to emphasize his point, and everyone but the demon in front of him scattered.


	5. In Which the Truth is Revealed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rollercoaster, anyone? And should I have put in a language warning for the last chapter? Either way, there's a "fuck" in this chapter too, as well as mention of sewing human skin, but I tried not to go into too much detail. It still makes me squeamish.
> 
> Dante finally trusts someone well enough to reveal things, and despite her science based mind, Lucy is very understanding. Let's face it, sometimes things just can't be explained by science.
> 
> Also, please note that a laceration is a deep cut in the human body, and chitin is a type of fibrous substance found in exoskeletons that is also used for medical thread. It can be dissolved by the human body, but not digested.
> 
> No songs for this chapter once again, but so much happens that I honestly feel like it's excessive.
> 
> And of course, despite how much I may want to keep him, Dante isn't mine and neither is DmC. Also, I'm pretty sure that Fae no longer exist, if they ever did, but I don't know if they're a part of the DmC universe.

**Chapter 5**

**In Which the Truth is Revealed**

Lucy scrambled from the store, expecting Dante to leave with her, and was terrified when she turned to see him still in the coffee shop and facing down the thing that emerged from the enraged man. Dante had his guns drawn and fired a few shots to send the thing staggering back before slamming the closest heavy object he could grab into it.

The way Dante fought was staggeringly different from what she had seen before. Her father had UFC fights on all the time when she was still at home, and she had seen plenty of street fights, but Dante was fucking skilled. And fast. The fight was done within a matter of minutes, Dante left standing with gun barrels pointed at the now dead thing and several gashes on his body.

She watched as he holstered the guns under his coat and came outside to meet her.

Dante immediately noticed the wide-eyed expression on his rabbit’s face and made a beeline for her. Some of the smaller scrapes were already healing, and blood flow from the deeper ones was slowing. He wrapped an arm around Lucy when he reached her and started steering her away from the wreckage.

“What the hell was that? And you-” Lucy started, a tinge of hysteria in her voice.

“Shhh, babe. Let’s get you to your place and I’ll explain,” Dante soothed.

“You’re bleeding!”

“I know, I’m fine for now. Your place, remember?”

“I have stuff to fix you up. I’m not a medical student for nothing.” With that, Lucy took charge, leading Dante down a few blocks and up a few streets to a little apartment complex next to a tiny park. She marched up the steps and unlocked her door, and he saw her look at the windows near her to check for peeping neighbors.

Dante never knew he could be turned on by medical speak and the commanding tone of a woman who knew what she was doing. And yet here he was.

“Strip your coat and top, please,” Lucy spoke. “I need to examine you for any lacerations that need to be sewn.” She turned to her bathroom, and he heard her rummage around before emerging with a medical kit. He undressed as she pulled her hair back and washed her hands. Lucy knew what she was doing, and Dante had questions as well as answers for hers.

Lucy fixed him with a sharp look when she turned back around. “I need you to answer all my questions with as much detail and accuracy as possible when I’m fixing you up, okay? I gotta know exactly what I’m dealing with.” She cleaned up the dried blood on Dante’s chest and cleaned the still open wounds, forcing a hiss from the half-demon. Despite the stinging of the hydrogen peroxide on his skin, Dante was entranced by the skilled movements of his rabbit’s fingers on his chest.

She pressed around the open cuts. “Any pain or numbness?” Lucy looked up into his eyes and Dante swore he saw genuine worry in her expression. He shook his head.

“Nah, just regular skin. I’m pretty difficult to seriously hurt and kill, little rabbit,” Dante teased.

Lucy simply huffed. “I have questions for you about that, seeing as you have more holes in your shirt than lacerations, but I’ll save that for when I’m done.” She rummaged in a cupboard and brought out a bottle of Jack Daniels. “Drink up, I’ve seen the toughest of men in pain while having skin sewn.” She picked up a packet with a sterile needle and some thread, ripping open the packet and threading the needle. Dante followed her instructions, glad for the free booze and the chance to drown out the soreness of his muscles.

When Lucy started sewing, Dante had to grit his teeth. His body wanted to heal every little hole she made with her needle, which made it difficult the entire time. It got quiet as she focused on her work, and he couldn’t stand not hearing her voice fill the silence.

“How’d you learn to sew up bodies?” he asked. “And why didn’t you just rush me to the hospital?”

Lucy’s eyes flicked up to his and then returned to her work. “For your first question, I’m a med student. It’s my job to know how to do this. For your second, the way you fought isn’t normal. And despite what I’m doing in school, sometimes hospitals ask too many questions that I can’t answer. We used to have to patch up my father after he came home from work, and that’s when I first learned how to sew skin. He was a bouncer at a rough bar and had run-ins with a lot of smartasses, drunks and gangs, but we couldn’t take him to the hospital sometimes because my mom and I couldn’t explain how he got some of his injuries.”

Dante hummed in response. “How do you know that my fighting style is different?”

“Again, bouncer father. He taught me how to defend myself, and I’ve seen quite a few brawls and street fights.” Lucy laughed at Dante’s raised eyebrow. “Why do you think I’m studying medicine? I was never able to help people before, and now I can.”

Dante took a good look at the lithe woman before him, who was finishing up stitching his chest. At first glance, she didn’t look like much. But he knew she had stamina for days from her dancing at the Restaurant, and he figured she could wield at least a normal handgun if she needed to. Lucy knotted off the last thread and cut the loose ends.

“That should just about do it,” she said quietly as she looked up at him. “Oh Dante, why did you stay in there? That thing ripped from that man’s skin like it was tearing tissue paper.”

The man in question sighed. He’d hoped for a bit of time with his little rabbit outside of the Restaurant before he had to explain, but it needed to be done. “What do you know about a world besides the human one, babe?”

Lucy blinked in surprise. “Stories, mostly. My mom read fairytales to me when I was little, and I’ve always had an interest in the supernatural. It usually explained phenomena that science couldn’t. Why?”

“Some of those stories are true, babe,” Dante started. “Gods aren’t real, and I haven’t run into any Fae yet, but angels and demons are real, as well as the things that go bump in the night.”

“So, that thing was a-”

“A demon, yes. My job is to kill all the demons that pop up in this city, and when work does come around the money’s pretty good.” Dante chuckled.

“So what’s the deal with you, then?” Lucy asked. “No one heals that quickly.” She pointed to the already healing sewn together gashes in Dante’s chest, and he chuckled. She caught on fast.

“I’m a halfling, babe. Dad’s a demon, mom’s an angel. I have a brother too, and we’re the only two people in existence that can kill both angels and demons.” Dante scratched at the stitches in his chest. “Are these supposed to itch, babe?”

Lucy swatted his hand away. “Yes, dissolving stitches itch. It’s just a long strand of chitin, the body can break it down. It gets rid of a doctor’s visit just to take out the stitches.” She blinked. “They already itch? I didn’t even finish you more than a few minutes ago.”

“Nah, you didn’t finish me.” Dante winked and she blushed. “Part of being a halfling means I heal faster than normal people. I certainly didn’t need stitches to heal, but they closed my skin together so I could heal faster. Nice perk, actually, saves me from regrowing skin and dealing with raw skin against my clothes.”

Dante could almost see the gears churning in his little rabbit’s head. He’d tried to make it easy to digest, and so far she was doing well. Anybody else he’d tried to tell either didn’t believe him or freaked out and wouldn’t listen to him anymore.

“Are there ones you can’t get to in time? Before people die?” The words left Lucy’s lips in a whisper. Dante just nodded. “How do they work? The demons?”

“Some drive people crazy. Some have weapons with them, others use claws. Many have some type of poison or toxin to fight with, those are pretty nasty to get hit with.” He watched as she grabbed for the Jack Daniels bottle and took a long swig. She coughed only slightly when she swallowed the booze too quickly.

“Okay, I believe you. On one condition.” Dante’s eyes widened, he hadn’t expected her to believe him so easily. “You gotta prove it. Prove to me that you’re a halfling.”

“You mean beyond the rapidly healing chest?” Lucy’s eyes flickered to the hunter’s still bare chest, now barely marred with leftover thread that hadn’t been absorbed.

Normally, Dante wouldn’t have had a problem with releasing the Devil Trigger and going all out on whoever stood across from him, but that was when facing off enemies. Standing across from him now was his little rabbit, he didn’t want to risk hurting her or scaring her off. Almost as if reading his mind, she spoke.

“Can you not do it, or are you scared of hurting me?” Lucy’s accusatory expression made up Dante’s mind.

“Of course I don’t want to hurt you, but I don’t want you terrified either. I saw you earlier, that deer in the headlights look,” Dante said quietly. He surprised himself, not only was he showing a woman part of his heritage but he was scared.

Lucy put her hands on his cheeks and forced his gaze to meet hers. “Look, I just saw a demon rip itself from a human body. I’m pretty sure I’m all scared out, at least for today. And I trust you not to hurt me.”

Dante sighed and removed his guns from their hostlers, placing them on the counter and positioning himself a bit away from Lucy. “Fine. If it’ll prove it. It’s called my Devil Trigger, a gift from dear old dad. If I do anything, take the guns and run.”

With that, he flipped the switch. He felt as the Trigger activated and swept through his body. He’d done it once in the mirror before, just to see what happened, and he knew how different he looked. He could also feel the last of the stitches fade and the skin close, only to be replaced with the little cracks all over his face and down his neck.

When Dante opened his eyes to gauge his little rabbit’s reaction, it wasn’t what he’d expected and yet was. She wasn’t terrified, but was looking at him like she would someone else. She wasn’t shying away, but scrutinized him like one might a science project. He watched as her eyes traveled from the shock of white hair, to his now dark red eyes, and over the cracks in his skin. Dante didn’t dare to speak.

Lucy took a deep breath as her eyes met his again, and took slow steps towards him, like one might a big cat. She stopped only a foot from him, and his eyes snapped to the hand that she raised. He reached his hand out to meet hers halfway and put her palm on his cheek once again. He needed her to know that he wasn’t a figment of her imagination, but that he wouldn’t hurt her. It was almost as if the demon side was scared too, scared to make any moves or scare Lucy before she was ready.

“What is this feeling?” If his senses weren’t heightened, Dante wouldn’t have heard her words. He was caught by surprise when Lucy threw her arms around him and threaded one hand through his hair.

Dante hadn’t held anyone while his Trigger was activated, only fought and killed. But it felt right to be held, so he clutched Lucy like a lifeline. “You didn’t run.”

“No,” his little rabbit murmured. “I always knew you were hiding something from me, men don’t get the rough and tough demeanor without a reason. And now I know what it is. I’d never run, not after you’ve trusted me this much.”

He sighed and felt the switch flip again, deactivating the Trigger. He felt himself return to normal and pulled Lucy in even closer.


	6. Pistols and Questions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why do all my chapters seem so short when I upload them here? I swear they're longer where I write them in my word processor.
> 
> Anyways, I've decided to move in a bit more of a domestic direction before letting all hell loose again. I think our dynamic duo deserves a bit of quiet time. But of course, Dante must always be prepared and ask the difficult questions of self-defense. And I double checked, Ebony and Ivory are pistols, I wanted to make sure before I published this.
> 
> In late night chats, I hate having music going, hence the lack of it again here.
> 
> And of course, Dante and DmC aren't mine.

**Chapter 6**

**Pistols and Questions**

Hours later, with a few beers and a pizza box on Lucy’s coffee table, the pair stretched out on opposite edges of the couch playing footsie.

“Age?”

“25.”

“22, with my birthday in a few months.”

“You’re still in college?”

“My parents wanted me to be the oldest rather than the youngest, so they held me a year. I don’t mind it anymore.”

“How did you become Jivebunny?”

“Josh and Max, the DJ, had the idea for the club after having a lack of new places for date night. So they used some of the money from Josh’s trust fund and opened up the Restaurant. I’m a childhood friend of Josh’s, we lived down the street from each other, and he used to tease me about my love for older music. He called me up and I said sure, a chance to dance the night away to good music and get paid for it was a total steal." 

“So they’re dating?”

Lucy hummed affirmative. “What drew you to the club?” Dante chuckled, he could tell she’d been itching to ask that question.

“To get out of the usual grind, I guess. Got tired of killing demons, going to bars, and fighting. So I rode my bike down random streets and took turns at will until the club caught my attention. And besides, finding you there sealed the deal for me, babe.” Dante grinned when Lucy blushed. “Favorite color?”

“Sunset. All the colors are so different from what I see around town.”

“Red. And seeing you in that red dress my second night there, oh baby you have no clue how hard it was to not steal you away.”

“You must’ve been practically drooling when you came back and dragged me off to the back room, do you remember what I was wearing?” Lucy’s smug smile made it seem like she had all the power. 

Dante groaned and fixed his little rabbit with a needy look. “Baby, I haven’t stopped thinking about that top.” His eyes flickered to Lucy’s legs, which crossed at his words. “Under those lights, with your hair pulled back and that lipstick, I almost died. And then, having you in that back room and seeing you breathing heavy in it…” Dante whistled, heat rushing through his body at the image now rooted in his head. “It took all my strength to not take you right there and then.”

He pulled himself from his memories to see Lucy’s look of hunger, but also one of insecurity. He decided not to press it just yet.

“So what sparked all the 50s style clothes? You couldn’t have just woken up one day,” he teased.

Lucy fiddled with the hem of her sweater. “I’d always had a deep love for women like the Hepburns and Jackie O. They always dressed so well and did such amazing things. Audrey Hepburn, for example, went on to become a UNICEF ambassador and did work for them for years after ending her movie career, and continued to inspire women to be the best they could while looking like they could rule the world if they chose to one morning. I’ve always wanted to be like that, and I feel comfortable in that style of clothes. It’s a kind of modest sexiness.” She threw the brakes on her ramble. “How did you find me? What I’m wearing today is nothing like what I have on at the club.”

“Your boots.”

“My what?”

Dante laughed. “I was getting pizza across the street and saw your boots. I waited until you looked up to take a drink before I came over, but it was your boots. You wear them a lot as Jive.”

Lucy wiggled her feet. “I’m glad that I chose them as my trademark then. If I were in stilettos at the club, you couldn’t have found me even if you tried!” Her laugh pulled one from Dante, and he just winked when she finally calmed down.

“How long has it been since you’ve fired a gun, if you ever learned?”

Lucy tucked a loose bit of hair behind her ears. “I have, but it’s been years, probably. I can’t remember the last time I’ve been to a range, but my mind has mostly been on school and you lately.” She blushed lightly.

“Do you want to relearn how?”

“Relearn?”

“Things have changed since you’ve fired, since you can’t remember the last time you did. It’d be good to get back into it, and then you can use my pistols just in case.”

“Just in case?” Dante could hear the slight hysteria growing in Lucy’s tone. He gestured her over and the slight woman moved to his half of the couch. She arranged so she could tuck into his side.

“Look babe, now that I’ve found you, I don’t intend on leaving you, not for good. And something tells me you wouldn’t like that either. But I come with a lot of danger, and you have to be able to defend yourself in the event that something slips by,” Dante explained gently. “I’d rather not let that happen, but my luck isn’t always the best.” He laughed.

Lucy hummed distractedly and peeled herself from his side. She moved the empty bottles and pizza box to the kitchen, and Dante could hear clanking as everything made it to bins. He rolled to check his phone. 2:37 AM. 

“Hey babe, it’s getting pretty late. I should get going.” Dante hated the words as they left his mouth.

Lucy looked at the clock on the microwave. “Or, you know, you could stay here for the night.” It was a tempting offer, but Dante didn’t want to push his luck. He stood and shrugged on his coat over the new shirt he had gone for after he’d released the Trigger earlier.

“As tempting as that is, babe,” he started.

Lucy put a hand on the arm closest to his guns, preventing him from grabbing those too and leaving.

“Please?”

Damn it all to hell, she made it so fucking difficult.

Dante groaned. “Lucy, Jive, baby, I’m trying to be good here, but you’re making it difficult. I’m trying to be a good boy here.”

His rabbit stepped back. “Maybe I want you to be the bad boy. Maybe I want you to treat Lucy the same way you treat Jivebunny. With desire and confidence. Like the wolf I know you are.” She walked to the door and put her hand on the knob. “So are you a man or a wolf?”

Dante growled and stalked to the door, slamming his hands on either side of Lucy’s body. “I’m neither babe. I’m a halfling.”

He captured her lips in a kiss.


	7. Love is in the Air

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So you know how summer's supposed to give more time to do things like write? Yeah, uh, I still don't have time...
> 
> But you know, I'm here with a preface to some things and some more domestic life because I love it. We never get to see Dante really domestically, so this is all just a hunch.
> 
> Dante may love the chase, but the catch is what he's really looking for.
> 
> Also this is short. It's a bit of a filler with some things explored. It gets longer from here, I think. But that in no way makes up for not updating in a while, even though I have another project in the works to hopefully be posted here soon.
> 
> (Dante is also still not mine.)

**Chapter 7**

**Love is in the Air**

Morning saw Dante sprawled out among a haphazard concoction of couch cushions, pillows, and blankets on the floor of Lucy’s apartment living room. A slight rustling from the direction of the kitchen had him reaching for the guns he had put on the cushion-less couch.

“Shit,” came Lucy’s voice, accompanied by the sound of ceramic clanking together.

Dante sat up to see Lucy with a mug in her hand and dressed only in a fuzzy robe, wet hair brushing her shoulders. She spotted his head over the back of the couch and smiled.

“I’m sorry if I woke you up, I was just trying to get a mug for tea,” she explained.

“You showered.”

Lucy looked down at herself and closed her robe a little tighter, hiding the barely-there view of her cleavage. “I didn’t want to wake you up, you looked like you were sleeping well.” Dante just blinked and thought back. Why wouldn’t he have heard her get up from beside him, let alone hear the shower going? “Before you go too far, I don’t have any sedatives in this house that could knock out a grown man, the closest thing would be downing my entire box of Midol and some alcohol, but that would kill you.” She giggled. “Your face gives things away when you’re not careful.”

Dante groaned and stood. He sauntered over and played with some of Lucy’s wet hair. “Got any coffee?”

“No, I don’t drink it.” He groaned again, playfully this time. “Yeah, yeah, I’m killing you. I have really strong tea though, almost as strong as coffee, just as bitter, but a lot less free radicals.”

He sighed. “If I must. Fine if I grab a shower next?”

Lucy nodded. “I’ll get you started.” At Dante’s wiggled brows, she smacked his chest lightly. “Not like that, you horny man!” She pulled out a towel from the linen closet and turned on the shower.

“You love it, babe.” He pulled her hair aside and kissed down her neck. “Wanna join me?”

“Oh Dante.” There was that tone again, the one that made him want to hear it again, screamed in ecstasy. “I’m trying to be a good girl here.” His words thrown back at him made Dante chuckle.

“Okay, okay.” Dante removed his hands and lips from the woman in front of him, and swore he heard a small whimper at the loss of contact.

“I’ll, uh, go make tea.” He heard the click of the door and undressed.

The heat of the water felt amazing. He scrubbed down, admiring the now smooth, unscarred skin on his chest.  Despite the annoyance of the needle, this was one of the fastest heal times he’d had after a fight.

Lucy put a kettle on the stove, then rummaged in her closet for something to wear. She eventually decided on a blue and white striped button-up and black cuffed pants, and twisted her hair up to dry. She made it out into the kitchen right as the shower turned off. Turning on music, she pulled out another mug.

Dry and dressed, Dante ventured into the kitchen. Rock from the 90s blared from a small set of speakers and he was greeted by the sight of Lucy dancing around barefoot. He leaned against the wall and watched.

“Looking good, babe,” he called out when the song ended. Lucy whirled to face him and blushed.

“Shut up,” she muttered half-heartedly. She handed him a steaming mug. “It’s pretty dark and strong, tell me what you think.” Dante took a sip and wrinkled his nose. It was nothing like coffee.

“Not for me, sweetheart.”

“More for me then!” Lucy jumped up to sit on the counter.

Dante just chuckled. Seeing his Jivebunny outside the club as Lucy answered a lot of questions. “You look great, little rabbit.”

Lucy blushed. “Why do you call me that?”

“Call you what? Little rabbit?” Dante set his mug down on the counter and Lucy nodded. “Because I knew you first as Jivebunny, and it made sense to call you a rabbit because you're so damn elusive.” He smirked, pulling a laugh from Lucy.

“Maybe you can use another nickname, now that we’re outside the club.”

“Then let me know what you'd like to be called, and I’ll call you that.” Dante kissed Lucy’s forehead.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you something else, too.” She quieted down and fiddled with the hem of her shirt. “Do you only find me sexy as Jivebunny? In those style clothes? I just can’t get out of my head the things you said last night…”

Dante sighed and stepped between her legs. He put his palms on her thighs in what he hoped was a reassuring gesture. “What did you mean when you said you didn’t know what that feeling was?”

Lucy’s mouth gaped like a fish. “You heard that?”

“Heightened senses, babe. I can hear everything.” Dante tapped his fingers. “You show me yours, I’ll show you mine.”

Lucy’s eyes narrowed at the repeat of her words and the heavily implied innuendo before she dissolved into a nervous wreck again. “It’s just been a while since I’ve felt anything remotely like this, and the first time was nowhere close to how strong it is now. And I think I may like you, both in a ‘I want to spend my life with you’ and a ‘I want to fuck you and be fucked by you’ kind of way. I think I’m falling in love with you, and it’s crazy because up until yesterday I only saw you at the club and we didn’t know each other outside of Friday nights but you found me and trusted me and I don’t want to start something that you don’t want because I’m scared that you don’t feel the same way that I do or that you only feel-” Dante shut her up with a kiss. 

“What a relief,” he murmured as he pulled back. “I was worried that I was going crazy.”

“What?”

“Do you know why I kept coming back after that first night?”

“Because you love the chase?”

“Well yeah, but also because you’re captivating. You’re incredibly sexy as Jivebunny, but I wanted the girl outside of the club too. You promised a glimpse of that woman that I wanted to meet, so I kept coming back. I can’t take my eyes off you whether you’re dressed up for Jivebunny or dressed up for Lucy. It’s just another part of you. And if my feelings are what I think they are, then I’m falling in love with all of you.” Dante made a surprised sound as Lucy pulled him towards her and kissed him hard and passionately.


	8. Modus Operandi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The only explanations I have are: life gets in the way, and I'm trying to figure out how I'm getting to the end of this story. I know where and how I want it to end, but I'm having a little trouble putting the puzzle pieces together.
> 
> It'll still be a couple more chapters until we're back with music, I'm trying to draw out this domestic Dante for as long as I can (oops).
> 
> Dante and DMC aren't mine.

**Chapter 8**

**Modus Operandi**   


Dante knew that what he was doing was not a part of his usual modus operandi. He knew that his brother would scorn him for getting involved with a human woman, Vergil had always thought that affection was useless. But Dante just didn’t give a fuck.

He kissed Lucy like he was drowning and she was the last breath of air, pulling her as close to him as he could. He trailed kisses down her neck, earning him moans. Lucy retaliated by nipping at his ear, and Dante undid the buttons down her torso, sliding the fabric from her shoulders. He groaned at the bralet that was revealed, the demon in him raging to be released and claim Lucy.

To sate that need, he arched Lucy back so that her breasts angled toward him. He nipped along the exposed skin. “Dante,” she moaned, and he dove for the front zipper, unzipping it and sliding the fabric off to meet her shirt on the counter.

Dante pulled back to admire Lucy’s new offering, causing her to blush. The air came on faintly in the background and her nipples perked. He released a growl, but was interrupted from lavishing attention on them by Lucy sitting up. Her hands went to the bottom of his shirt and started to pull up on it.

“I showed you mine, you show me yours.” Her breathy tone sparked something deep in Dante and he pulled off his shirt.

“Whatever my rabbit wants, she’ll get,” he muttered before diving in for another kiss.

Lucy’s roving hands on his torso drove Dante into a frenzy. He grabbed her thighs and pulled her to the edge of the counter. She released his lips to murmur, “Bedroom,” before kissing him again. He lifted her up and braced his arms under her ass, breaking Lucy’s latest kiss in order to find her bedroom. She continued to kiss and nip at his neck in retaliation for earlier, but snapped to attention when the doorbell rang.

“Shit,” she whispered. Dante stopped at her door frame. Lucy wiggled against him to try and get out of his grip, but only succeeded in rubbing herself against him.

“Lucy,” he said through gritted teeth. “Remember our position. Do you want to answer the door?” He let her down if only to stop the torture of her unintentional grinding.

“What if it’s another demon wearing skin?” Lucy clung to him and looked up with fear in her eyes. “Would they have followed you?”

“Maybe, but I doubt it.” Dante wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. “I can go answer the door, and the worst that might happen is that your neighbors find out you have a dreamy hunk over.”

Lucy snorted like he hoped she would. “Let me get my clothes back on, I can do it.” She wiggled out of his grip and went for the kitchen, picking up her clothes and putting them on. Dante watched as she missed one button, skewing her shirt, but decided against mentioning it as he'd get to see her fix it later. Instead, he went for his guns, the familiar feeling of their grips soothing any doubts he had about protecting Lucy.

“Lucy!” Her name was whined through the door. “C’mon Luce, it's getting cold out!”

She unlocked the door and opened it, Dante’s fingers tightening on the grips. “Max, what the hell?” His grip relaxed. “Why are you here?”

“Well Josh and I were going to the coffee shop on Main but saw the damage in it. We knew you were there yesterday because you told us to tell that Dante hunk in case he asked,” the DJ started. What the fuck?

“Speaking of which, isn't that his bike outside?” Josh’s voice came through.

“What? No, it must be one of the neighbors having someone over,” Lucy lied. Dante just sighed and put his guns down. He sauntered over and slipped an arm around her waist.

“C’mon babe, just tell ‘em,” he teasingly scolded. “That is my bike, and the shop is in ruins but we have no clue why. Heard the news after we left. Now if you don’t mind, you're interrupting…” The hunter trailed kisses down his rabbit’s neck to emphasize his point.

“S-sorry guys, I gotta go,” Lucy closed the door, Dante not letting up on his attentions.

“Go get him, Luce!” Josh called, and Max whistled as they headed down the steps.

“So what’s this about telling me where you’d be?” Dante tried to sound stern but he was sure the mischievous glint in his eyes gave him away.

Lucy bit on her lip before speaking. “It was a couple weeks ago, and I was getting desperate. You hadn’t found me yet, so I put in a clue just in case.”

He pulled back and held her at arm’s length. “Did you not trust that I’d find you?”

“I did, I just didn’t know how long it would be. You sometimes aren’t at the club because of work, and I didn’t want to assume anything about hours during the week,” Lucy explained. “I didn’t know if I was just a fun girl at a club and you weren’t looking because that’s all I was.”

“Lucy.” There were so many emotions raging in him that he couldn’t tell which ones came out in his tone. “I went almost crazy looking for you. No matter what happens, I will always find you. I don’t care how long it takes, how far I have to go, what I have to face, who I have to fight. I will always find you. Never doubt that.”


	9. 3AM and a Wakeup Call

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gosh, I am so sorry. School picked up again and I moved into a new place and I have no idea how I'm going to take this story to where I want it to end. So please enjoy an extra-long chapter and the end of domestic Dante. We return to our regularly scheduled programming, and as I've had a little bit of time to pick up the DmC game again, I'm back in the groove.
> 
> Also, I recommend looking up Pat Benatar.
> 
> DmC isn't mine.

**Chapter 9**

**3AM and a Wakeup Call**

Dante ended up staying the rest of the day at Lucy’s place. He would’ve left earlier, but she was still a little jumpy and frankly he didn’t want to leave her, not now that he found her.

So he quizzed her with her flashcards, stood as her anatomical model, and kissed her a lot. He might’ve been bored were it not for her voice constantly going and the joy he got from distracting her long enough to get her out of her shirt again. Lucy eventually got tired of buttoning it and just let her shirt hang, a sight that had Dante’s blood roaring all day.

There was also the bonus of it being leftovers day, which was generally Dante’s favorite day of the week.

Throughout the entire day, Dante had had a nagging feeling in the back of his mind. This was too normal, too white picket fence. Something somewhere had to be going wrong, he’d have to be called away for something. Life didn’t give him any ‘Get Out Of Jail Free’ cards, shit had to be hitting the fan soon, he’d had over 24 hours of bliss with Lucy.

His hunch was proven correct when his phone rang during dinner. He was needed to clear out a small horde of demons. Danted sighed and stood.

“Gotta go, babe. Duty calls.” Lucy just hummed in response. “I’ll be fine, babe. You saw how hard it was to give me any lasting damage.”

The brunette sighed. “I know. Come to me if there’s anything you can’t fix on your own, yeah?”

Dante chuckled. “You’ll hear banging on your door at 3 AM.”

He didn’t actually expect to find himself back at Lucy’s door at 3 in the morning, but life was bitter like that.

He also didn’t expect to have the door flung open by said woman dressed in little more than an oversized shirt and glasses, which he blinked at. He didn’t know she needed glasses. Her muttered curses about him actually showing up at 3 AM made the hunter snort, but anything more than that earned him a glare. Lucy cleaned up the deep gash in his left shoulder and an even deeper stab wound on his right side.

“You’re lucky it wasn’t your left side,” the grumpy woman told him. “You’d have bled to death.” She efficiently wrapped the wounds in gauze and medical tape to keep it all in place. “I’m not dealing with the little cuts, I have class in the morning.”

“I didn’t expect you to. I’ll get out of your hair, too.” Dante made for the door and the trek home, but another curse stopped him.

“Oh fuck it Dante, just come to bed. You’re in no condition to go home. Sleep it off tonight, I can’t stand worrying about you more.” Lucy trudged back to her room, forcing Dante to follow or face her wrath. He debated telling her that he hadn’t needed the help, that he came over to see her more and for the convenience of a shorter healing time, but decided against it.

Dante stood in the doorway of Lucy’s room. It was an eclectic mix of both retro and modern styles, with filled bookcases, art covering the walls, and not one thing out of place. He smiled, just the sort of thing he’d come to expect from his little rabbit.

She was already under the covers, the lights off and her glasses on the nightstand. Already topless from just being tended to, Dante pulled off his boots and jeans before joining Lucy. She was curled up under additional layers of blankets, and he slowly tugged her over to him.

At her mumbled protests he simply responded, “I’m a living heater.”

“It’s cause you’re so hellish.” Lucy chuckled at her own joke. “G’night Dante.” She was asleep before he could respond and it wasn’t long before the soft sounds of her breathing lulled the injured but smitten hunter to sleep as well.

 

 

 

Dante woke in the morning to the sound of silence. No sounds of the street outside, or Lucy moving around like the morning before, just the heater running. He groaned and sat up, moving bandages to inspect his wounds. They were already healing, even if they hurt like a son of a bitch.

He shuffled to the kitchen, where the clock read 10:37. A note on the counter told him that Lucy was in class until 3, and gave the name of her university in case he needed her. It also said that he could help himself to anything in the kitchen, and to not take more than 3 ibuprofen before she came home. The hunter happily helped himself to as much food as he could, and downed the ibuprofen for good measure, though he wasn’t sure if they’d actually do anything.

Dante meandered back to Lucy’s room and regarded the clothes on the floor. Tugging everything on, the hunter decided on returning home for a shower and a clean set of clothes before surprising Lucy at university. Somewhere in his mind, a note was made to bring over a few sets of clothes for when he needed fixing up.

Two rides, a shower, and a change of clothes later found Dante standing at the entrance to the parking garage nearest the science buildings. He’d figured her car would be there considering she was a medical student, and at a quarter after three his hunch was proven correct.

Lucy came striding into view, her head bowed over her phone in her hands. A heavier coat was settled on her shoulders, and underneath the swishing of it, hints of a green flannel and a red shirt poked out. Black jeans extended from the bottom hem of the puffy coat, and black combat boots clunked on the sidewalk. Backpack straps appeared as she came closer, and Dante could pick out the swish of her ponytail.

He started towards her, and at the clunking of his own boots Dante took a cursory look down. He chuckled when he realized that Lucy was dressed somewhat like him, whether she realized it or not. Dante fell into step beside her before speaking. “You’re dressed a bit like me, babe.”

Lucy jumped and let out a startled scream, almost dropping her phone and losing her footing. Dante chuckled and started to pull her towards him when she banged fists against his chest.

“Don’t you scare me like that! I don’t do well with surprises! And don’t you know not to sneak up on a girl?” Lucy laid her palms flat on his chest and looked up at him. “What are you doing here anyways?”

“I didn’t sneak up on you, you were coming right towards me,” Dante explained. “And can’t I come surprise you?” He spun Lucy around and kissed her. Something must have caught her attention because she pulled away sooner than normal.

“Dante.” The slight breathlessness of her voice almost made him lose track of her next words. “We should move, people will see.”

He blinked. “So? What’s the problem with that?” He followed her anyways, stopping just inside the parking garage.

“Because I haven’t dated since my sophomore year because I got too busy with classes, and there are people still trying to get in my pants despite my best efforts,” Lucy explained.

“Well they can fuck off for all I care. You’re mine, and I don’t share,” Dante growled. He slipped his hands under the hem of her shirt and nipped at her neck, biting harder than before. His demon raged inside, wanting to claim and mark the woman in his arms. The sound of male voices ripped Dante from Lucy’s neck with a growl, his Trigger just itching to be released, and his fingers unconsciously dug into Lucy’s hips.

The small whimper from Lucy and the knowledge of growing bruises made the switch start to flip, and Dante could feel his features start to change. He could vaguely hear Lucy calling his name, but most of his attention was focused on the males who dared to interrupt his time with her. He felt hands on his face that forced him to look down at Lucy, who was still saying his name.

“-ante, love, calm down, it’s me, it’s Lucy, your little rabbit-” The roaring of his blood calmed down as he looked at the woman whom his demonic half considered his mate, despite her being human. His angelic blood began to sing at the sound of her voice finally reaching him and calmed down the demon. “Have you calmed, love? Are you back with me now?” Dante sighed and rested his forehead against Lucy’s. “What was that?”

“Lost control.” Despite not knowing what that meant, Lucy simply nodded.

“C’mon, I’ll fix us some dinner and you can tell me what cut you deep enough that you stopped by last night. I can help you more if I know what we’re facing here.” Her use of the word ‘we’ sent shivers down Dante’s spine, and she kissed him gently before going to her car. He, in turn, swung one leg over his bike and started it up, the engine roaring to life and echoing off the concrete. Over the grumbles of the bike he heard Pat Benatar blare from inside Lucy’s car, and shook his head. She had a large taste in music, that was for sure. He followed her back to her apartment, and placed a hand on her back at the sight of a man outside her door that was neither Max nor Josh.

The man stepped aside for Lucy, allowing her to open her door and step inside. Dante didn’t follow, instead closing the door behind her so he and the man were left outside.

Lucy looked at the door. Why would Dante have stayed out there? Unless… Her eyes widened. It was another of those demons in human skin.

She quickly skimmed through what she could remember of her demon lore as she shrugged off her coat and dropped her bag on the couch. They shouldn’t have been able to track her, she didn’t have any open wounds when Dante had fought at the coffee shop on Saturday. Only three days ago…

They must’ve followed Dante after his fight last night. But that meant that these demons knew where she lived…

The sound of Dante’s voice shocked Lucy from her thoughts.

“You listen closely now, you sick fuck. If I find out you’ve laid a single hand on Lucy, I will hunt down you and your entire team. I will work my way up the system, ripping apart your kind as I go, until Mundus lays dead in front of me. You can go tell him that I’m coming for him.” Lucy turned towards the fridge and tried not to hear the sound of a body rolling down the stairs.

The sound of a hand on the door made her jump until she heard a phone ring and Dante answer it. She pulled out a few ingredients for a stir fry and washed them.

“What, Vergil?” Who? “Don’t pop a fucking eye out, I’ll be ready to go.” He’s leaving? For how long? “Jesus fuck, Verg, I’ll be there when I get there. Lay the fuck off.”

The vegetables on the cutting board were subjected to the precise movements of Lucy’s knife. She tried not to show how worried and upset she was when the door opened.

“Sorry ‘bout that.”

“No worries.” Her knife chopped away, her mind running rampant. Lucy jumped when Dante slid his arms around her waist, somehow noticing her worries, and sliced into her thumb. She stuck the digit in her mouth as blood welled, noticing the deep sniff Dante made. At first it was creepy, but then she remembered. Half demon.

“I, uh, I gotta go,” Dante murmured.

“I know,” Lucy replied, and she felt him wince.

“You heard, huh?”

“Just the last bit, and only your end of the conversation. I get it, duty calls.” She turned in his embrace and flashed a small smile that she was sure he could see through. “Just don’t take so long this time, okay?”

Dante sighed and kissed her forehead. “I’ll try to be quick, but time passes differently where I’m going. Just keep up your life as normal and I’ll be back as soon as I can. I promise.”

Lucy nodded silently and pulled him down for a kiss. She tried to pour all she could into her kiss, all her love, admiration, and worry for the halfling that held her close. A little voice in the back of her mind told her that this might be the last time she ever saw Dante, and Lucy tried her best not to crumble.

Dante was the one to pull back, and Lucy swore she could feel his reluctance. At the door, he sent her a confident smirk and a wink, then let the door close behind him. Lucy simply slid down the cabinets and didn’t move for a while.


	10. Angels

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, it's not Tuesday and this is super late, but surprise?
> 
> Honestly I've been super busy with school and work. And of course my mind tends to run haywire, so there's a whole bunch of other things I'm writing in addition to this one, which isn't fair to all of you readers. So for that, I'm terribly sorry.
> 
> However, we are back to regularly scheduled programming, and if the plot in my head lines up with what comes out on paper, then in a few chapters we should be hitting the ultimate drama.
> 
> Liquid Lunch by Caro Emerald  
> Mr. Sandman by The Swingrowers
> 
> Dante nor any part of the DmC universe are mine.

**Chapter 10**

**Angels**

Dante stormed into the Order’s HQ. “What the fuck, Vergil?” Kat’s head swung up but Vergil remained at the computers.

“I don’t know what you mean, brother,” came the cool reply.

“What the fuck is this? One final push?” Dante swung his brother around. “Are we even prepared?”

“You’re normally not worried about those kinds of things, Dante.” Vergil scrutinized his twin. “Who’s changed you?”

“Who?” Dante spluttered. “What are you getting at?”

“You never changed your mind when we were little except when someone else was involved. Who is it?” Vergil pressed.

“Whatever,” Dante hedged. “So we’re storming this fucker’s castle?”

Kat finally spoke up with the game plan, walking the brothers through all the floors of Mundus’ building. “I can only go up so far with you, so once you’re past that floor you’re on your own,” she said.

Dante shrugged. “Crazy. I’m in.” He slung Rebellion across his back, checked for Ebony and Ivory and strode back out. Vergil and Kat exchanged glances as he left, whatever was on his mind at least kept him motivated.

Dante roared off towards Mundus’ tower, Lucy on his mind. The last time he had left, several missions had been shoved together. Time moved differently in Limbo, sure, more time always passed there than it did here. But he still had no idea when he’d be back to Lucy, if at all.

And he hadn’t told her that he was definitely in love with her.

Lucy tried to stay on track during the following two weeks. She really did. She also started carrying a little pepper spray with her, despite the fact that it would do very little other than startle a demon, but it would be a precious few seconds.

When Friday rolled around, Josh and Max could clearly see the distress on Lucy’s face. She looked like she hadn’t slept for a few days, even under her makeup, but in the darker lights of the club no one would know.

“Hey Luce,” Josh started. “Are you okay?” The woman blinked and looked over at him.

“What? Oh, I’m fine, I’m fine. Just a little tired, classes are pushing hard,” she said. “Are you ready for the crowd tonight? I’ve been hearing word around campus about the amazing Jivebunny Restaurant, it’s starting to be discovered.” Lucy grinned as she put her bag and coat in the little cupboard behind the bar. “We’ve really gotta kick it up a notch tonight!”

Jivebunny stretched a few muscles and cracked a few joints before waltzing over to the door and crowd outside, Max taking up position and starting with music. Josh looked right at home behind the bar, everyone was as ready as they were going to be. Jive swung open the doors.

“Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the Jivebunny Restaurant. Cast aside your worries, cast aside your problems, and dance!” The crowd surged in, and Jive looked for her hunter before going inside.

She never saw the three pairs of eyes watching her from across the street.

It was early morning when Dante finally found his way to Jivebunny Restaurant, and Max was playing a song that Josh said was called “Liquid Lunch.” He brought the hunter a glass of Jack Daniels, which was downed gratefully.

Jivebunny was up on the stage dancing, dressed in a sweet, light blue, long sleeved mod dress with a Peter Pan collar and cuffs and black Mary Jane heels. She looked like a retro angel just for him, but he saw a twinge of sadness as she scanned the crowd before jumping in.

“Hey Josh…” The bartender was already waving down Max, who nodded and cued up another song.

Jivebunny came storming from the crowd, her slightly curled hair bouncing as she walked. “Josh, what the fuck, I saw that signal!”

“Hey Jive, don’t hate on the messenger.” The bartender jerked his thumb in Dante’s direction. “He’s the one you were worried about, yeah?”

“Josh, I told you, it’s just classes,” Jive started before turning towards him. She stopped and blinked, almost as if she hadn’t expected to see him again.

“Hey little rabbit,” Dante said, his voice husky. He couldn’t believe he was back at the club either, not after nearly dying fighting Mundus and Vergil. He stood. “I’m back babe, just like I said I would be.”

“Oh Dante!” Jive’s voice cracked, and she launched herself into his arms.

Dante held her close, one arm around her waist and another angled so his fingers buried into her dark hair. Jive’s sobs wracked her body, and Dante just took each one like a knife to the chest. He didn’t understand what fucked up karma he could have to have Lucy in his life, but if he could prevent her from crying again he’d do anything.

“Shh, my angel, I’m here,” he soothed. The nickname came unbidden, but it felt right. “Josh, can we go back?” The bartender nodded with a smile.

Dante gently moved Jive towards the back room, the small woman not wanting to let go of him. The lilting song came towards them and he understood why Jive was so upset. _Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream._ He closed the door behind him and was near pushed over from the force of Lucy.

“What happened? Are you okay? Are there still people after you?” Her hands fluttered over him, and Dante had to gently grasp them to focus her attention.

“I’m fine, Lucy, no need to worry. Fought a bit, downed the demon king, fought my brother, and now I’m back here with you. There might be a few bitter souls out there, but nothing I can’t handle.” Dante sped through the past few weeks in the hope that Lucy wouldn’t question it.

“Wait, what? You fought a demon king and your brother?” Lucy stepped back, confusion written all over her face. “What am I missing about your life, Dante?”

“Nothing, Lucy, you aren’t missing anything.”

“Well clearly I am, if you’ve been going off and fighting demons whenever you haven’t been with me.” At his sheepish look, she gasped. “You have been! Every time you disappeared, you were out on some mission killing demons! You didn’t think to tell me that that’s where you were? Do you know how worried I’ve been? All these months and you never said a word about it!”

“I couldn’t tell you!” Dante exploded. “Telling you would put you in danger too! Everyone was looking for ways to weaken me, and I couldn’t give them any. Even now, even after everything, demons may still be out looking for me, looking for a way to take me down after I killed their ruler. My own brother ended up turning against everything I thought we were fighting for, not even a year after I discovered he existed. I’ve had to be careful my whole life. I’m not going to lose you, angel.”

“Dante, you have to know that I don’t like being kept in the dark about these kinds of things. I can help, even if it’s just providing somewhere to go after a long day.” Lucy sat on the couch, the blue of her dress contrasting with the dark fabric.

“Then maybe it’s time we took a bit more normal of an approach.” Dante sat next to her and held out his hand. When Lucy gently took it, he smiled. “I still have to hunt, but you and I can slow down. My entire life has been pretty focused around other worlds, so I want to learn more about you.” She smiled, and he knew that his proposition had been accepted, even if she hadn’t forgiven him for not telling the whole truth.

“Well for starters, I don’t like being lied to,” Lucy chided.

Dante grimaced. “Sorry, angel.”

“You’re half angel, Dante, if anything I should be calling you that.”

“Too bad, I already took it.” He kissed her nose, which she scrunched at him.

“And secondly, you’re going to have to dance with me a lot more, Mister Grouch.” Lucy pulled him up and out to the floor, where they danced away another night.


	11. Shots and Showers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After this, only two more chapters and an epilogue are left! We are almost at the end!
> 
> When I started this, I didn't think it would actually take this long to write. I had quite a bit done, but I needed to find the right direction in which to take Dante and Lucy. As we finish up, I hope you are happy with it.
> 
> As rough around the edges as Dante is, I've always liked to think of him as a family man.
> 
> I don't own Dante or DmC.

**Chapter 11**

**Shots and** **Showers**

True to his word, Dante made a point to learn more about Lucy, since his life wasn’t in immediate danger.

He spent hours upon hours with her as she studied, quizzing her when she needed it or being her student when she needed to talk through a topic. He picked up a few of her books from a class focusing on Victorian writing, and finished a couple. Despite all the bookshelves Lucy had, he discovered that she was willing to share them and let him read what she had, as long as the book came back in the same condition it left in.

Foster parent after foster parent had made sure that Dante went to school, so although he had graduated high school, he hadn’t done anything else. Lucy pushed him to look at a couple classes online, and Dante was surprised to find himself considering it.

He found that museums were among Lucy’s favorite places. He tagged along to her outings, where she showed just how much knowledge she stored. Lucy knew a near impossible amount about art, and she shared everything she remembered about a certain piece or artist with him. But when she ran out of words, she’d just stand for a while and look at a painting. Her head would tilt just slightly, and she’d be almost completely still, her hand intertwined with Dante’s. More often than not, he’d find himself looking at Lucy instead of the art.

It was almost November by the time they were able to go to a shooting range, as Lucy had had to get a firearms permit. She had layered warm for the day, and pulled her hair back to avoid the wind.

“Are you ready?” Dante asked, and pulled out Ivory. “She’s live.”

Lucy took the weapon from him and moved across from the targets. “Bullet in the chamber?”

“Always. I never know what’s going to spring on me,” he explained, and drew Ebony. “You need a refresher?”

She sighed and scrunched her brows together. “I think I’m good. Being back has woken up some memories.” Lucy smoothed out her features and took a solid stance, bringing up the pistol. Ivory gleamed under the November sunshine, and Lucy lined up one hand to support the one that had the trigger. She looked down the sights and exhaled, squeezing off the round already in the chamber. It hit the target, though wide of the center.

“Not bad for your first shot in a while, angel.” Lucy made a face at him, and Dante laughed. “I mean it. Try again.” He lined up his own weapon, not needing extra support as he was already used to how Ebony moved. He fired off a few shots, hearing Lucy beside him. Dante eyed his own target before checking on Lucy. She was working her way closer to the bullseye in only a few shots.

Lucy lowered Ivory and looked over. “You’re a lefty?”

“Ambidextrous, but I figured you would be a righty.” He nodded at the target. “And apparently I was right.”

“I meant to ask you about your hair, by the way.” She aimed and fired off a few more rounds, surrounding the bullseye.

“And here I’d thought you’d forgotten.” Dante holstered Ebony. “Ivory’s a rapid fire, you don’t have to wait between shots.” Lucy fired half a dozen rounds, then handed back Ivory.

“Will you tell me now? I kept forgetting to ask you, and I won’t let you get away with not telling me.” She crossed her arms, and Dante was reminded of how stubborn she had been when they first met.

“It’s ‘cause my Trigger is fully active, not a partial change.” He slung an arm over her shoulders after holstering Ivory, then started to lead them out.

“Oh, just that. I thought that you were trying some weird phase or something. Bring back the scene life or whatever.” Lucy sounded so serious that Dante had to pull away to look at her.

“You’re really not phased by that? Well fuck me then.”

“Okay.” Lucy snagged his hand and pulled him towards her car, grinning. “If that’s what you really want.”

Dante groaned. “You have no idea how much I want it. You’ve been torturing me for months, you siren.”

“Torturing you, huh?” She backed up against the car and arched her back dramatically. “You must be absolutely insane by now.”

He growled and surged forward, lifting Lucy by her thighs and attaching his lips to her neck. He sucked hard, pulling moans from her. “Oh God, Dante!”

“There ain’t no god to help you now, little angel,” Dante ground out. Being so close to Lucy but still separated by clothes was starting to fray his patience. He slowly unzipped her thermal overshirt, revealing the T-shirt she had underneath in a pretty blue color. His mouth attached to her neck again, licking and sucking towards the collar of her shirt. The new chill had Lucy pressing towards him, but they still weren’t close enough. Dante shifted them to the hood of the car, and set Lucy down so his hands could roam and catch under both her shirts, intending to tug up and rid himself of two unnecessary layers.

Lucy’s hands stopped him. “Sneaky devil, we’re in public.”

“I give no fucks.”

“I do. Let’s go home first.” That word shocked Dante back to some semblance of rational thought. Home. Something Dante hadn’t had in awhile was just being offered up, and for once he was terrified.

“Fine, but we’re going out to a club of my choice tonight.”

“Deal.” Lucy grinned.

Several hours later, Lucy collapsed beside him, breathing hard. “Well shit.”

While Dante had barely broken a sweat, Lucy was covered in a light sheen and her hair was significantly messier than it had been earlier. Her scent was absolutely intoxicating. “I told you I’m fucking good.”

“You certainly blew all the other sex I’ve had out of the water,” Lucy panted, still catching her breath.

“It bothers me that you thought that I wouldn’t surpass everyone else you’ve been with,” Dante teased.

“You’re such a ladies man,” she shot back.

“I’m only one lady’s man now,” he soothed, and reached over to help her brush sweaty hair from her forehead.

“You’re so cheesy.” Lucy sat up and turned towards her bathroom, but not before Dante got a glimpse of the blush coloring her cheeks.

“You love it.” Dante stretched, hearing joints pop, then ran a hand through his hair. “These are the moments I’m glad I finally brought over a change of clothes.” The shower turned on, and Lucy’s voice was muffled.

“This is the first time we’ve really done anything, you horny devil.”

“The first of many, little angel,” he countered. He sauntered into the bathroom to find Lucy already in the shower and smelling like shampoo. He joined her, and deflected weak protests. “We’ve already had sex, Luce, a shower is nothing.” He started washing to punctuate his point, and after a small punch from Lucy no other protests were made.

They cleaned up in comfortable silence, and Dante found himself loving this part of sex. Earlier in time, he wouldn’t even have bothered to see his partners out. But now he was engaging in one of the most mundane, couple-oriented things ever, and not feeling obligated to do so. He finished and dressed before Lucy did, so he settled for watching her get ready.

It had been years since he has seen a woman get ready for anything. His mom had let him watch her do her hair and makeup, but that had been over 20 years ago. So he sat on the edge of the tub as Lucy dried and curled her hair, and when she went to get dressed he waited patiently. She returned in an outfit he hadn’t seen in awhile, a familiar black bustier and black jeans. She had swapped her boots for heels, but looked just as alluring as she had the first time Dante had seen the outfit. Lucy worked calmly and efficiently on her makeup, and half an hour later was ready to leave.

“I’ll drive, you have a good time tonight. No obligations, no need to represent the Restaurant,” Dante offered. Lucy smiled, pleasantly surprised.

“Okay Dante. Thank you.” She locked the door behind them, then handed him her keys.

The drive to the club was short, and Dante parked in a secret spot down the block. The bouncer let them in no problem, as Dante had solved a little pest problem a year earlier. The music and lights swept them in. He saw as Lucy’s eyes lit up at the realization that she was really having a night off.


	12. Warn the Hunter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I asked where Lucy and Dante wanted to go, and they decided on this path. Who am I to deny them the drama?
> 
> I am of the opinion that when when traumatic things happen in life, memory starts to play a game of slip and slide. Only certain things remain in memory, hence the choppiness of this chapter (I promise it's intentional). Neither of them really wants to remember what happened, but I'm sure you can fill in the blanks. They certainly aren't pretty blanks to fill in, and it was already hard enough to take Dante and Lucy down this path.
> 
> I don't own Dante or DmC.

**Chapter 12**

**Warn the Hunter**

When it happened, Christmas was just around the corner.

Dante had spent weeks trying to figure out what to get Lucy. He had finally settled on a necklace adorned with a small pair of silver angel wings. Lucy made it clear that she wanted to get settled first with a job and steady income before even considering marriage or kids, but Dante felt bonded to her. He wanted to have some way of telling the world that he was smitten, a fact that Lucy was very well aware of.

Dante smiled, thinking of the pristine little box sitting in his trailer. Demons fell effortlessly in front of him, but it never occurred to him that they might be a distraction. A business owner near the edge of town had called, reporting an infestation.

In the middle of the job, his phone rang. The caller ID read Lucy, but the voices on the other end weren’t all hers.

It sounded like a struggle. He heard crashes, her screaming, and what sounded like the screams of demons.

“What have we here?” A gruff but distorted voice came closer. “A call? To Dante?”

“Dante! Help! They’re-” She was cut off before she could describe them.

“Naughty little human, trying to warn the hunter. He will just have to find you.” The call disconnected.

Dante felt rage overtake him. He had been right, someone was still out looking for him, someone had found his greatest weakness and taken it. His Trigger took over, cutting the job time in half while creating a messier scene.

In spurts of consciousness, Dante hunted them. Demon blood consumed him, screaming only of saving his mate and killing whoever took her. He found Lucy’s scent and followed it, stopping only when he returned to normalcy and his body pleaded for rest.

The trail took him around town before finally reaching a gate. One of Kat’s painted symbols told Dante that he had been here before, but he couldn’t remember what lay before him as he crossed over. He descended further and further into Limbo.

Lucy had been faced with an option: reveal how to defeat Dante or be tortured into confessing. She refused to say a word, so it began. Needle-thin knives scratched and pierced her skin. Bruises appeared and grew, blood spilt on the ground.

For days, she was asked only of how to defeat him. She never gave anything away, so demon after demon came to try to wear her down. When whoever was in charge had had enough, they would come to her and she might get a chance to pull one over on them.

“Enough!” A voice boomed. “I have been losing demons left and right from that pesky hunter, and all this girl does is infuriate the rest. I’m putting a stop to this.”

Lucy spat out blood, watching through scraggly hair as the lead demon approached.

He was creepy. Tall and thin, like most mobsters were, but this thing had a blood red mask in place of a face. It looked like a ringleader.

“Let’s see what we’re dealing with here.” The thing grabbed her chin. At the contact, Lucy descended into a storm of her worst memories. The demon reveled in the surfacing darkness. “You’ve seen things, my dear. If you relived them, would you be likely to break?”

The scene was disgusting. Hungry demons surrounded her, watching in envy as the leader touched her. She looked to be near beaten, her skin covered in marks that Dante wished he had never seen. Before saying anything, Dante wished that he were a man of stealth rather than pride.

“You have something that doesn’t belong to you.” His voice cut low through the crowd. It terrified her, but Lucy had never been so happy to see him.

“And you are overstepping your boundaries, son of Sparda.”

Lucy watched, horrified, when Dante jumped into action. She had seen fights, but nothing near as sadistic as this. They swarmed around him, blades and bullets cutting through. Bodies fell and disintegrated, the dust getting kicked up in the torrent. In a matter of minutes, only the boss remained alive. As the dust cleared, Lucy saw the red eyes and understood.

“Filth like you shouldn’t have been able to kill Lord Mundus. He was more than you ever will be,” the demon spat.

“Mundus was a tyrant. Killing him rid this world of any chance of uprising, shoving you all back down here where you belong.” Ebony and Ivory were drawn, pointed dead center at the red mask. “This should serve as a message to stay out of my city and stay away from the people closest to me.” Two shots rang out. A blood red mask clattered to the ground.

Dante felt himself descend from the Trigger. He carefully untied Lucy, catching her when she toppled forward.

He climbed out of Limbo, any demons scattering as he approached. Fatigue started to overtake him, but the need to get Lucy to a safe place overrode his own need for rest. When he finally approached her apartment, Dante dug around for the key he had swiped from Lucy’s counter in a lucid moment. He locked the door behind him, then gently deposited Lucy on her bed.

The first aid kit was still under the sink. Dante carefully peeled back her blood-stained clothes, cleaning wounds as he went. Too many cuts and bruises marred her body, ones put there because he hadn’t been with her. As much as he wanted to beat himself up, Dante knew that Lucy would not be happy about that, so he focused instead on her wounds. He couldn’t sew skin, but he bandaged what he could. Only when he was satisfied did he allow himself to collapse beside her.


	13. New Beginnings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are almost at the end, folks. Throughout it all, this is where Dante and Lucy wanted to end up. It's not dramatic, it doesn't end with the club, but for them it's a happy ending. I'd always wanted Dante to have some semblance of a happy ending, and it's lucky for me that with Lucy, he wanted that too.
> 
> With that, I give you part one of the happy ending. I fully planned on having an epilogue.
> 
> I do not own Dante or DmC.
> 
> Enjoy!

**Chapter** **13**

**New Beginnings**

Lucy awoke in the morning to searing pain. The adrenaline that had been coursing through her for days had worn off, leaving only the aftereffects of the torture in its place. As she took quiet inventory of what hurt the most, the sound of constant breathing registered.

Dante lay haphazardly beside her, one arm thrown over his eyes. He looked as though he had fought his way to hell and back, which was true. Lucy didn’t know how far into Limbo she had been taken, but she assumed that it was pretty damn far from the looks of Dante.

She slowly sat up, ignoring her body’s protests, and shuffled into the bathroom. The light was only turned on after the door was closed so as not to disturb Dante. When Lucy looked in the mirror, tears started falling.

She was shades of yellow and purple. Bruises covered every bit of skin the she could see, only interrupted by cuts or bandages. There were even a few bruises that bloomed from her jaw. Her hair, mercifully, had been brushed, but that was the only part of her that she recognized. Lucy hadn’t realized just how hard those demons hit, her only thoughts were protecting Dante. She sat on the edge of the tub, trying not to look in the mirror anymore, and let her tears continue to fall.

Dante woke to the sounds of quiet sobbing and a feeling of panic. Lucy was no longer beside him, and it took a few moments for the panic to subside as he realized she was only in the bathroom. He groaned when he stood, then knocked.

“Angel? Can I come in?” There were sounds of sniffling before she responded.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’m hideous! I look like I’ve been shoved through a meat grinder!”

“I’m sure that’s not true, angel.” Damn it all to hell, he was going in.

Lucy panicked as the doorknob turned. She buried her face in her hands, ignoring the stinging that came along with it. The door opened, and she had never felt more naked.

“Oh Lucy…” Last night had been bad enough, but with the light directly on her, Dante could see everything. He had to fight down the urge to go off and kill every last demon so that there were none left that could hurt her. Instead, he sat down beside her and pulled her in close. “They can’t hurt you anymore, I won’t let them.”

“They wanted to kill you, Dante. That’s all they asked me about, how to kill you.”

“The only way to hurt me is through you. Had they realized that, they would have known not to take you, because there is nothing I wouldn’t do to keep you safe.” All he got as a response was more sniffling. “Come on, angel. Why don’t we get you cleaned up, and I’ll make us some breakfast, okay?”

Lucy let herself be stood up, already processing how to best let herself heal. She had plenty of medicines to help get rid of the bruising and minor cuts, but it would all take time. It was lucky that exams had already finished, but she only had a week and a half to make herself presentable enough to go home for Christmas. She hadn’t even decorated her apartment yet, or wrapped anything.

But then Dante stood in front of her, already shed of his clothes, and Lucy set her worries aside. Dante was here, and it seemed like he wasn’t leaving any time soon. As long as Dante was here, she could handle anything.

So she stepped into the shower, taking care to clean all the cuts with soap and water. The dried blood was washed from her hair, and Dante helped with what she couldn’t reach. The warmth soothed away the aches. He dried her off and helped her dress in the softest, loosest clothes they could find, having dressed the worst cuts again.

She sat at the counter and instructed Dante on how to make her favorite waffles. The shake in her hands was still too much, so he took over many of her duties for the first couple days.

Lucy watched in awe as her apartment became a winter wonderland. He strung lights, set up the tree, and hung ornaments all according to instruction. Dante never protested even as she rearranged where she wanted the tree to be three different times, and braved the cold to decorate her front door. “Willing to let in a stray?” he had teased upon re-entry.

When the shake in her hands subsided, 6 days before she had to leave, Dante helped Lucy wrap presents. He had tried to be sneaky in seeing if any of them were for him, but Lucy had already gotten and wrapped his gift a week before her abduction. It was safely tucked away where he hopefully would never find it.

With the loss of the shaking, most of the bruises and cuts faded. After a thorough inspection, Dante had reported that a cut down her torso would scar. Lucy could see that he was upset about it; after all, he healed so well that he never had scarred. The fact that she had to forever carry a mark of what happened bothered him. Instead, Lucy saw it as an opportunity. There were many ways to cover that up and make it beautiful, and she was ready for it.

The night before she had to leave, 4 days before Christmas, Lucy and Dante sat on her couch. Each had a small gift.

“You first,” Dante insisted. He watched, only partially patiently, as she unwrapped the little jewelry box.

Lucy cast him a skeptical glance. “I thought I told you how I feel about marriage.”

“You did. Just open it.” He could feel himself vibrating with anticipation.

“Oh Dante.”

“If you don’t like it, I can always take it back-”

“Oh shut up, it’s beautiful. Help me put it on?”

She turned around for him, and Dante took the necklace from the box. Lucy raised her hair for him and he gently clasped it. He didn’t even try to hide a smile when she turned back around.

It fell perfectly below her collarbones, the delicate wings looking like they had always belonged there. In a way, they had, it just took time for them to materialize.

“I love it Dante, thank you. Now it’s your turn.”

He could feel calm radiating from her. Whatever waited for him inside this box was something she was sure he’d like, so it took some control to not rip into it.

It was a key.

“Go try it in the door,” Lucy prompted when he just sat there. He obliged, and when it fit in the lock he couldn’t hide his excitement.

“Are you- am I-” He couldn’t finish a thought through the swirling emotions.

“Move in with me, Dante.”


	14. Epilogue- The Fourth Horseman

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it! Lucy and Dante's story is complete! I am happy to announce their happy ending, and I hope this gives enough closure while still leaving the future open to your imagination.
> 
> Thanks for sticking along for the ride,
> 
> Tea

**Epilogue**

**The Fourth Horseman**

With spring came a new period in Dante’s life. He sold his trailer shortly after moving in with Lucy, and planned to use the money to enroll in a few classes in the fall. She encouraged him to look for a job other than hunting demons, although that was still a large portion of his income.

The club that he had taken Lucy to months earlier was willing to work with him for hours. He was able to have Fridays off to go be with Lucy at Jivebunny Restaurant, and when it came time for classes in the fall his boss was willing to change around his shifts so that he could be home by midnight.

He learned to dance. Dante enjoyed his nights at the Restaurant, and with Max and Josh filled in on events there were no questions asked when he had to disappear after a phone call.

There had been a scare, once. It was a false alarm, but it made Dante seriously consider whether or not he wanted to be a father. His relationship with his own father hadn’t been the best, but Lucy assured him that he was nothing like Sparda and had nothing to be worried about. When the time came, he would be ready.

Lucy wanted to go shoot more often when she had finally recovered completely. As such, Dante had a gift in mind for her birthday.

He had spent months on it, working with everyone at a gun shop to find the right one for her. She had been firing a lot of his weapons, but had taken a shining to Ivory. She took up kickboxing, assuring Dante that it was only so that she didn’t have to depend on him all the time. He had countered by saying that he really didn’t mind protecting her, but he had learned by then that there was no point in arguing with her.

When the pistol was finished, it was a beautiful matte black. He’d had it named, but he figured that Lucy wouldn’t mind.

“Happy birthday, angel!” Dante had decorated the apartment with streamers and balloons. A chocolate cake sat on the counter, candles ready to be lit, and her gift sat beside it.

Lucy’s hand reflexively went to her necklace, a habit she picked up that gave away her happiness. “Thank you, Dante, this is perfect.” She looked tired, but Dante knew that it was from a long day of classes. He ushered her to the couch and served a bowl of her favorite mac and cheese. Their latest show was cued up, and after a couple episodes Lucy was fidgeting.

“Go ahead and grab it.” Dante paused the episode as Lucy bolted for her present.

“This is heavy.” The wrapped box sunk into the couch. She tore the paper, and took off the top of the box. A card waited for her.

_ She was one of the few souls that made me wonder what it was to live. _

_ ~Dante _

“This is from ‘The Book Thief.’ When did you read it?”

“A few months ago.” He gestured back to the box.

Lucy lifted the foam away, revealing the pistol. She could see the word “Death” engraved on the side.

“Don’t worry, it’s not live.”

“Why did you name it Death?”

“Because you are nothing if not fair.” Lucy smiled at that. “And because you faced it down for me. I figured that I would give you the opportunity to walk with an old friend, as death is an old friend for me as well. It’s never to be used against people, because I know how you feel about that. It’s just for demons.”

Lucy rubbed her thumb across the name. “It’s perfect.”

When Dante got a call the next night, he and Lucy were ready. The horde of demons were ready for Dante as well, but the sight of Lucy was unexpected.

“Who is the girl?” the leader sneered. “A snack?”

“I’m the fourth horseman.”

She raised Death and fired the first shot.


End file.
